Mechanism for mounting a welding shield on headgear



Jan. 22, 1963 (5, z, EDWARDS ETAL 3,074,072

MECHANISM FOR MOUNTING A WELDING SHIELD ON HEADGEAR Filed March 30, 1959 F/G F/G 2.

44 l5 I2 46 64 l7 3 a 4 22 2o- 34 I INVENT0R GEORGE ZAHNOR EDWARDS GEORGE A. LANGFORD ATIORNEYS hired Our invention relates to face-protective shield and headgear combinations worn by welders, and is concerned particularly with mounting mechanism by which one is attached to the other.

Many different mechanisms for the purpose have been developed heretofore. They customarily provide for pivotal movement of the shield or helmet, as it is often called, relative to the headgeareither headband or hard hat typeso such shield or helmet may be raised from a work position in front of the face to a rest position above the head and may be lowered when Work is resumed. To this end, the mechanisms usually include a latching arrangement of detent character which establishes such raised and lowered positions.

As constructed heretofore, these mechanisms have either worked too stiiily or too loosely for many welders. A consideration has been that it is often desirable for a welder to be able to lower the shield from rest position to work position by merely nodding his head, this being particularly true when his hands are required for holding both the work and the Welding torch. Yet, it is not desirable that the shield be subject to falling from rest position inadvertantly due to too loose latching or pivoting. Moreover, the relative resistance to or case of changing from one position to the other should be a matter of choice for the individual welder.

A principal object of this invention is to provide pivotal mounting mechanism of the type concerned having an inherently freer and easier movement than customary, but being adjustable with respect thereto and with respect to detent release, so that resistance to release and movement of the shield may be set as desired by the individual user.

Another object is to, at the same time, provide for limited positional adjustment of the shield with respect to the headgear.

A feature of the invention in the achievement of the first object is a resiliently biased ball detent arrangement employing anti-friction ball bearings, as detent members, and means for adjusting the strength of such resilient bias.

A feature in the achievement of the second is the provision of mutually adjustable, interlocking arms rigidly secured to the headgear and to the detent arrangement, respectively.

Further objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of the presently preferred specific construction illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 represents a left side elevation of a welders face-protective shield, or helmet, and headgear combination incorporating the pivotal mounting mechanism of the invention;

FIG. 2, a top plan view of the combination shown in FIG. 1, with the top of the shield broken away to fully reveal the pivotal mounting mechanism;

FIG. 3, a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, an exploded perspective view of the pivotal mounting mechanism per se; and

FIG. 5, a perspective view showing the reverse side of one of the parts illustrated in FIG. 4.

dfil hlz Patented Jan. 22, 1.963

Referring to the drawing:

The Welders face-protective shield or helmet 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is of one-piece, molded plastic construc- .tion. It is formed in generally customary fashion with a crown Wall 11 for top-of-the-head protection, a front wall 12 for face and eye protection, a window 13 in the front wall, side walls 14 for side-of-the-head protection, and a lower wall 15 for chin protection.

Headgear 16 on which shield 10 is pivotally mounted comprises a headband 17, with size-adjusting means 18, and a crownband 19 with size-adjusting means 26?. Pivotal mounting mechanism 21 extends outwardly from one side of headgear 16 and pivotal mounting mechanism- 22 extends outwardly from the other side. Such pivotal mounting mechanisms 21 and 22 are equipped with respective wedge inserts 23 at their outer ends, providing for quick and easy attachment to the shield 10 by insertion of the Wedge inserts 23 into. respective receiving pockets 24 molded integrally into the shield. This coupling arrangement forms the subject of our copending application Serial No. 802,489, filed March 27, 1959, now Patent No. 2,963,709, granted December 13, 1960, and entitled Quick Coupling for Molded Face-Protective Shield and Headgear.

While the illustrated headgear 16 is of open, band type, it could just as easily be a hard hat of the type Worn by industrial workers for head protection.

The pivotal mounting mechanism 22 includes movement-limiting and position-adjusting structure 25.

Each wedge anchor insert 23 has a projection 26v extending inwardly therefrom, which projection, so far as the present mechanism is concerned, could extend directly from a shield 10. It constitutes pivotal means non-rotatably secured to the shield. An opening 27 within each projection 26 has a multi-sided extension 28 which non-rotatably restrains a nut 29 therein. Nuts 29 are threaded on pivot screws 30 in both pivotal mounting mechanisms 21 and 22.

Each projection 26 is provided with a shoulder 31, having a concentric series of four mutually spaced recesses 52, which serve to receive and accommodate protruding portions of ball detent means about to be described.

In the form illustrated, such ball detent means coniprises four detent balls 33 held in a retaining cage structure which mates with a rectangular projection 34- extending from shoulder 31. This non-rotatably mounts such ball-retaining cage structure on projection 26.

The said retaining cage structure comprises a position-limiting and ball-holding disc 35, FIG. 4, having a rectangular opening 36 which non-rotatably mates with projection 34. Disc 35 abuts shoulder 31, and is provided with a circular series of four ball-holding pockets 37 which register with and are accommodated by the recesses 32, respectively, of shoulder 31. Disc 35 also has a marginal indentation 38 which defines, at its ends, limit stops 39 and 40. The retaining cage structure also comprises a ball-retainer plate 41, FIG. 4, fastened to disc 35, as by spot welding. It is shaped to match disc 35, being provided with a similar rectangular opening 36' and marginal indentation 38' defining limit stops 39 and 41?. It is also provided with a similar concentric series of four openings 43, through and from which the upper portions of balls 33 project as detents for rolling contact with the confronting face of a detent latch member 44 having a similar series of four balllatching, keeper indentations 45 formed therein. Such detent latch member is preferably of matching disc configuration, but is provided with an arm 46 extending rigidly therefrom. This arm has a projection 47 serving as an abutment member with respect to stops 39, 39, and 40, 40', for limiting the range of rotative movement of the ball-retaining cage structure 35, 41.

acrea e A central opening 48 in detent latch member 44 pivotally centers the latter on an extension 49, FIG. 5, of projection 26 of the particular wedge insert member 23 concerned, projections 26 being each provided with a central opening 553 for pivotally receiving a cylindrically tubular projection 51 of headgear 16. This serves to pivotally mount shield on headgear 16, the projection 51 serving as pivot means non-rotatably secured to headgear 16.

The spacing of the aforesaid limit stops 39, 39 and 4t), 4% of disc '35 and its rigidly attached ball-retainer plate 41 and the positioning thereof in relation to the central openings 36 and 36' of such disc and plate determine the upper rest and lower work positions of the shield with respect to .the headgear. The spacing of the ballholding pockets 3'7, ball-retainer openings 43, and balllatching, keeper indentations 45 is arranged to register with the spacing of such limit stops, so latching of the shield with respect to the headgear will occur automatically at the limit positions established by such limit stops.

As shield 10 is moved from one limit position to the other, as determined by disc stops 39 and 40, balls 33 roll out of the latching, keeper indentations 45 and over the confronting face 52, FIG. 4, of detent latch member 4-4.

Arm member 53 is non-rotatably mounted on a headgear shoulder 54 by rivets or pins 57, FIG. 4, which extend through arm member 53 and into shoulder openings 58, and also by engagement of a rectangular projection 59 of headgear shoulder 54 by a rectangular opening 60 of arm member 53.

A spring 61 of warped annular formation is located within its circular center opening 62 on headgear projec tion 51. Spring 61 resiliently urges detent latch member 44 away from arm member 53 and toward detent ballretainer cage '35, 41, so that the detent balls 33 are pressed into their latching or keeper indentations 45 in the limit positions of the shield with respect to the headgear and against the confronting face 52 of detent late member 44 when rolling over such face while being moved from one limit position to the other.

A pin 63, FIG. 3, is provided in arm 46, the latter being so formed as to have its outer portion parallel and in close proximity to fixed arm member 53 of the headgear. Such arm member 53 is provided with three openings 64, 65, and 66, shown in phantom in FIG. 4, for receiving pin 63. Ann 46 may be resiliently displaced outwardly from fixed arm member 53, in order that pin 63 may be selectively moved from one to another of the openings 64, 65, and 66. This provides three diilierent positional adjustments for the shield with respect to the headgear for aligning window 13 with the eyes of a particular user.

Pivot screw 3% and nut 29 of pivotal mounting mechanism 22 provide for adjusting the ease with which shield 31% moves from latched raised position to latched lowered position, and vice versa, by increasing or decreasing the compression of spring 61, depending upon which direction pivot screws 3%? are turned.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it

7 should be realized that changes may be made without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.

"We claim:

l. in a welding shield and headgear combination, pivotal mounting mechanism comprising pivot means non-rotatably secured to the headgear; pivot means nonrotatably secured to the shield; ball detent latching means interposed between said pivot means and including a ball-retaining cage having a circular series of balls projecting from a face thereof as detents and a latch plate having a corresponding series of keeper indentations in one face thereof, said latch plate being disposed with its said face in confronting contiguous relationship with the said face of the ball-retaining cage; and resilient means normally urging the ball-retaining cage and the latch plate of said detent latching means together, said cage and said plate being normally non-rotatably secured one to the shield pivot means and one to the headgear pivot means, the ball-retaining cage and latch plate being provided, one with a marginal indentation defining mutually spaced limit stops, and one with an abutment member projecting into said marginal indentation to limit relative rotative movement of said cage structure and said latch plate by engagement with one or the other of said limit stops.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the spacing of the keeper indentations and the spacing of the detent balls correspond to the spacing of the limit stops, so that, when said balls are seated in said keeper indentations, the abutment member is in engagement with one or the other of said limit stops.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,283,120 Malcom May 12, 1942 2,461,604 Huntsman Feb. 15, 1949 2,889,606 Bowers June 9, 1959 

1. IN A WELDING SHIELD AND HEADGEAR COMBINATION, PIVOTAL MOUNTING MECHANISM COMPRISING PIVOT MEANS NON-ROTATABLY SECURED TO THE HEADGEAR; PIVOT MEANS NONROTATABLY SECURED TO THE SHEILD; BALL DETENT LATCHING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID PIVOT MEANS AND INCLUDING A BALL-RETAINING CAGE HAVING A CIRCULAR SERIES OF BALLS PROJECTING FROM A FACE THEREOF AS DETENTS AND A LATCH PLATE HAVING A CORRESPONDING SERIES OF KEEPER INDENTATIONS IN ONE FACE THEREOF, SAID LATCH PLATE BEING DISPOSED WITH ITS SAID FACE IN CONFRONTING CONTIGUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAID FACE OF THE BALL-RETAINING CAGE; AND RESILIENT MEANS NORMALLY URGING THE BALL-RETAINING CAGE AND THE LATCH PLATE OF SAID DETENT LATCHING MEANS TOGETHER, SAID CAGE AND SAID PLATE BEING NORMALLY NON-ROTATABLY SECURED ONE TO THE SHIELD PIVOT MEANS AND ONE TO THE HEADGEAR PIVOT MEANS, THE BALL-RETAINING CAGE AND LATCH PLATE BEING PROVIDED, ONE WITH A MARGINAL INDENTATION DEFINING MUTUALLY SPACED LIMIT STOPS, AND ONE WITH AN ABUTMENT MEMBER PROJECTING INTO SAID MARGINAL INDENTATION TO LIMIT RELATIVE ROTATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID CAGE STRUCTURE AND SAID LATCH PLATE BY ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID LIMIT STOPS. 